Misperception
by epilogue08
Summary: Iku is not one to stop and think; to reflect on her actions and surroundings. But as she transitions from childhood, she comes to realize that what she was looking for may not be as far away as she thinks.


**Misperception**

**Summary:** Iku is not one to stop and think; to reflect on her actions and surroundings. But as she transitions from childhood, she comes to realize that what she was looking for may not be as far away as she thinks.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Library wars.

Iku grinned excitedly as she skimmed through the children's books in the store. She picked up ones that looked interesting, and her attention would be immediately captured by the colorful pictures, and the words that seemed to magically weave a plot together.

"Haha, another fairy tale storybook?"

She turned around to see her brothers crowded around her, trying to figure out what was so interesting about the certain genre. Iku quickly defended herself. "Of course! They're way better than the comics you guys read!"

Seeing the looks on his children's faces, Iku's father seemed to sense a fight that was about to escalate, so he quickly gathered them and headed for the register.

On the way back home, she held her book protectively, while ignoring the teasing of her brothers, and her mind started wondering.

_Mother is always telling me to grow up…but I'm still a child. Fairy tale worlds seem so much better to live in. They have magic, swords, wizards, princes…_

She laughed cheerfully, paying no attention to the strange glances she got from her family.

When they arrived home, they were surprised to see a moving truck parked in front of the house beside theirs. Iku could see her mother talking to another young couple as they approached them.

Seeing the family arrive, the woman smiled brightly. "Hello! We've just moved in next door!"

"Nice to meet you." Iku's father said as they shook hands.

The woman smiled happily, and glanced at Iku and her brothers. "Oh, we should let our children introduce themselves!" She turned around, looking for her children. Meanwhile, Iku's brothers spotted a cat wondering into their yard, and they all chased after it, leaving Iku alone with the adults.

When the woman returned, she gently pushed a young boy the same age as Iku forward. "Atsushi, introduce yourself."

He frowned and glanced at Iku, who was staring at him in curiosity. "D-Dojo Atsushi."

Iku blinked, sensing that he wasn't very happy to be there. "Ah, my name is Kasahara Iku." She grinned, and added, "I'm turning eight next month!"

His mother patted her son on the head. "That means you guys are the same age. Oh, I wish I could introduce my daughter, but she's taking a nap right now."

As soon as the adults turned their attention away from them, she ran into the house and started reading.

[] [] []

Iku soon became enamored with the book. She was especially interested in the heroine's quest for her prince, even though she wasn't a big fan of the romance genre. There was something about the way the story would hint at events, and the way things were worded that captured her attention.

One particular afternoon, she tried to recommend Dojo to read the book. She spoke to him through the windows of their rooms, since they were directly across from the other, and had spent a long time explaining about the story.

He lost interest after a while, but it didn't bother Iku one bit, who was still daydreaming about the heroine's journey.

_I wonder if _I'll _ever meet my prince…_

[] [] [] [] [] [] [] []

"Kasahara-chaaaan!"

Iku glanced up as one of her friends waved excitedly at her from across the hallway of their middle school.

"We're gonna go karaoke! Wanna come?"

Shaking her head, she grinned. "Can't. I have something to do. I'll see you tomorrow!" She quickly dashed towards the door, but bumped into someone as soon as she left the. The force knocked both of them to the ground.

Iku quickly got up, then noticed it was Dojo she had bumped into. He shot a glare up at her. "What the hell?! You stupid blockhead, watch where you're going!"

Scowling, she patted her clothes, making sure they weren't dirty. "Hey! It was your fault too! You shouldn't stand behind the door."

"I wasn't standing here, I was just walking past!"

Another student, who was in the same class as Dojo, suddenly appeared from behind him. "Dojo, it isn't nice to lie." He put a hand on Dojo's shoulder. "Just be honest and tell Kasahara-san you were looking for her."

Iku frowned, struggling to remember the boy's name. _Was it Ko…Ko-Komatsu? Or Komaki? Or something like that…_

Dojo look irritated at his comment. "What? I wasn't looking for her! I was just-"

"Ah!" At Iku's sudden shout, Komaki and Dojo both paused and stared at her. "Sorry, I have to hurry!"

She gave them a fleeting wave, then proceeded to sprint down the hall at full speed. _Destination: the bookstore!_

[] [] []

The next morning, Iku quickly ran out of her house, with a toast in her mouth and a book in her hands. _I'm gonna be late! I spent too much time on this book, but I couldn't help it…_

As she left, she once again bumped into someone and dropped her book. Before she could scream out in horror, the person picked it up and dusted it off.

"Blockhead, stop bumping into me!" Dojo glowered as he handed the book back. "Are you doing it on purpose?"

Iku checked the book for any scratches or dirt. "Oh, good. I'd hate to think I destroyed a book right after I brought it."

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

She glared at him. "What?! I don't have time to stand around and talk! If I'm late again, I'm gonna get detention!"

Dojo glanced at his watch. "You've still got 45 minutes, relax."

"Huh? That's weird…" She checked her own watch. "I swear I only had ten minutes left."

"You're not late. Anyways, if there were only ten minutes, I would've been long gone by now. Unlike you, I'm never late."

Iku opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't come up with anything to say. Dojo turned and started walking towards the school, looking back to make sure she was following. Seeing that she still had time left, she flipped to the page where she had left off, and started reading.

"Is it that good of a book that you have to risk getting into an accident while reading on the streets?"

She turned to him suddenly, ready at a moment's notice to defend her precious book. "I've been waiting for this book since I was in elementary school, you know!" She smiled brightly while turning back to look at the book cover. "I brought the first book of the series when I was about eight, and I've re-read it so many times I practically got it memorized!"

"If only you could put that much effort in other things."

"Hey! Are you trying to say I'm stupid cause I never study?!"

"I didn't say that. Though you might be right." Iku clenched her fists, fighting off the urge to smack him.

"What's so good about that book anyway?"

She lowered her fists, caught off guard at the question. "Well…it has kind of like a fairy tale, fantasy-like genre, and then there's these awesome scenes, like this, and that…" Iku started mumbling as she started mentally ranting.

"And because of this, this series is my favorite!"

"I have no idea what you just said."

"And the romance throughout the story is unexpectedly interesting!" She continued, paying absolutely no attention to what he was saying. "The heroine goes through a lot just for the sake of finding her prince. And in the group of people she travels with, she has trouble getting along with this guy, who actually plays a pretty major role in the story. And-"

Her sentence was cut off as he abruptly pulled her towards him. Iku's face turned red instantly. "W-wha-?!"

"There was a car, you blockhead. Pay more attention to your surroundings!"

"Oh, a car! R-right."

Despite the danger, her mind was still preoccupied. _I wonder when the heroine will find her prince though. Maybe in the next book? When will it be released?_

She flipped to the back pages, then noticed a shadow cover her book. "Dojo, you're blocking my light! Weren't you walking my right side before?"

"Didn't I just tell you to stop reading when you're walking? And I happen to like this side better. You got a problem with it?"

Iku pouted, but didn't reply. She started reading the end, trying to find out the release date for the next book. Smiling in anticipation, her eyes landed on the date.

_"Th-three years later?!"_

[] [] [] [] [] [] [] []

"You still read too many fairy tales."

Iku pouted at Dojo's comment, and her cheeks turned a slight pink. "There's nothing wrong with reading fairy tales! The plots are so much more interesting, and the romances are better too!" Iku clutched the book tightly to her chest, and threw a pillow at Dojo, who was sitting on the floor in her room. "And I'm just rereading the books from the series that I really like. You're the weird one, Dojo. All _you_ ever read are boring non-fiction books and textbooks!"

"I never said there was something wrong with reading them; it's just that you should spend some time in your studies too. We're already high school students now, you know."

Iku looked like she wanted to roll her eyes at his comment.

Dojo kept his eyes on the textbook, he was reading. "And reading non-fictions and textbooks are good too. If you read more of these," he glanced up and nodded at the novel in her hands, "and less of _that_, maybe even _your_ level of intelligence will increase. Every minute you spend reading about some 'happily ever-after' story could've been spent on improving your marks."

Putting down the book, Iku stood up. Dojo prepared to block himself, expecting either a punch, kick or another pillow to come his way. But to his surprise, all Iku did was yawn and stretch.

"I'm sure one day _I'll_ also meet someone who's like a prince-, ah!" Iku quickly covered her mouth, but she said had already been heard.

Dojo froze, and stared at her in bewilderment while she tried to avoid eye contact. "_Prince…?_"

"Ah-I mean, uh, n-nevermind pretendIdidn'tsayanything!" She spoke so quickly her words were jumbled up together.

He smirked in amusement. Iku quickly sat down, holding her knees to her chest. "Ugh, if you wanna laugh, then go ahead, you jerk! There's nothing wrong with having dreams!"

"I didn't say anything." Dojo couldn't help but smile at her blushing face, looking completely embarrassed after such a verbal slip. "Did you get influenced by that fantasy novel? You've been obsessed with that series for a long time. Is it _that_ good?"

Iku, who was still feeling self-conscious, didn't answer immediately. "…Yeah, and the last novel is coming out in a couple of days, so I'm just…rereading…"

Just then, Iku's cell phone rang. Without glancing at the caller display, she grabbed it and ran out of her room, desperate to escape the awkward situation.

Dojo's smile disappeared. He glanced at the door, looking thoughtful, yet strangely low-spirited at the same time. "Your prince, huh…"

He didn't say much to Iku for the rest of the day.

[] [] []

The moment the bell rang, signaling the end of school, Iku stuffed all her things in her bag and rushed towards the door.

"Kasahara!"

She groaned, and turned around reluctantly. "Sensei, what is it?"

Her teacher pointed at the chalkboard, where her name, and Dojo's, were written on the side. "You and Dojo have class duty. You have to stay for a while longer."

Sighing, she hurried through her jobs as soon as everyone else left. When she started organizing papers, Dojo reached out and took them from her. "You blockhead! At least put some effort into doing a decent job!"

"But I'm in a hurry here!"

He gave her a suspicious glare. "For what?"

"Remember that fantasy series I'm reading? I'm want to buy the book right now!"

Dojo sighed, knowing that even if she stayed, she would be distracted the entire time. "Fine, we're almost done anyways. I'll finish up here, so go already."

"Eh? Seriously?!" Iku paused. "But…I don't want to leave you here all alone. It's fine, we'll just work faster!"

Dojo looked like he wanted to argue back, but changed his mind. After all, he'd rather stay there with Iku than by himself. _Not because it's Kasahara. I just don't want to stay behind alone, _he convinced himself.

But the moment they finished, Iku got a phone call from her mother, who was demanding for her to return home immediately. She left the school sulking, and barely spoke a word to Dojo as they walked home together.

The next day, Iku rushed out of the school before anyone realized. Thanks to her being on the track team, she reached the bookstore in record time. She grinned brightly as she picked up the novel that she had been wanting to read for the last two years.

But as she headed towards the register, the door burst open, and a group of MBC troopers marched in.

"Following the Media Betterment Improvement Act, we will be doing an inspection! Not a single book is to be taken out of this book store!"

Iku froze, and watch in fear as the troops started throwing books into their boxes. She quickly hid behind a shelf, and saw them grab the pile of fantasy novels. _D-does that mean this book will be taken too?! I can't let them; I really want to read it!_

Without warning, a hand reached out and grabbed the novel she was holding. Iku turned around to see another MBC member. "_Hey!_ That's mine, give it back!" She grabbed his arm.

He scowled, trying to push her away. "Let go! This kind of inappropriate book shouldn't even exist! Give it up!"

Iku felt her eyes sting with hot tears. _How could they just say that?!_

With one last push, he forcefully shoved her backwards, and she knew she would strike her head painfully against the shelf. Iku prepared herself for the pain, but when she heard the sound of the impact, it didn't hurt at all. _That's weird…_

She opened her eyes, saw an arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and turned her head. "D-Dojo!"

"Stay out of our way, you stupid kids!", the MBC member spat in disgust.

"You-!" Iku glared at him with hatred. "How could-"

"Kasahara!" Dojo grabbed her arm, wincing from the pain at the back of his head. "Don't," he whispered.

Normally, Iku would have fought back, but she stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. She bit her lips and had to watch as the MBC collect all the books. Seeing the helplessness in her eyes, Dojo grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. His hands curled into fists and he felt the rage inside of him as Iku started crying.

[] [] []

She wept silently as she followed Dojo out the bookstore, not knowing where they were going. She almost stumbled a few times because she couldn't see clearly. Dojo grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a tiny park near their neighbourhood. Through her tears, she saw him scowl, but it gave her a warm feeling when she realized it was because he was angry at the MBC, and not her.

"You blockhead, stop crying." Although his words sounded harsh, his tone was gentle, and had a hint of concern.

"B-but-"

Dojo took out a package from his bag, and gave it to her. "Kasahara, open it."

Iku hesitated for a second, then ripped it open. It was the novel she wanted to buy. "W-what, why?"

He looked away, "I brought it on the way to school this morning. Since you didn't get a chance to go yesterday." When he didn't hear a reply, he looked back to see her sobbing again. "Why- why are you crying?!"

She held the book tightly in one hand, and rubbed her eyes with the other. "I was s-scared…"

Dojo's eyes softened, and he slowly brought his hand up towards her face, feeling the urge to wipe away her tears and to see her smiling again. He brushed his fingertips over her skin.

She sniffled. "A-and my ankle hurts too…"

He blinked and froze. _What am I doing?_

Squatting down, he looked at her ankle, and realized it was swelling. "You blockhead! Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"But, I-I-I mean, uh-"

Dojo looked at his watch. "We should go home. Your family might worry again." He turned and crouched down, motioning for her to climb on his back. Iku stepped back. "I-I'm fine! I can walk by myself!"

"Really?"

She didn't reply for a moment, then decided she needed the help after all. The walk home was short, but to Iku, it felt like ages. Iku frowned, realising her blush wasn't going away, and her heartbeat wouldn't slow down. _Why?_

As soon as she went back home, she went straight up to her room and closed the door, sliding down to the ground. She put a hand to her chest, wondering why it was beating so fast. Moving her hand to her forehead, she realized that her face was still very warm. _M-maybe I just got a fever… Yeah, that's it._

That night, Iku flipped to the ending of the novel before she even started reading the beginning. It was a habit she had as long as she could remember.

She grinned brightly, realizing it had a happy ending, but her blinked in surprise as she read the last sentences.

_"But even though I went through all that trouble, I don't consider it being a waste of effort. Whenever I think back, I always laugh at my past self for not realizing a bit earlier. Then again, the fact that my prince was beside me all along…nobody had see _that_ coming."_

Iku couldn't control the sudden blush as a certain person came to mind.


End file.
